Panels are commonly used in buildings to cover or form walls. In elevators, panels are often used to cover or form the walls and have added requirements or desires. For example, the panels in an elevator are sought to be scratch-resistant or scratch-proof.
More importantly, the panels in an elevator must satisfy a safety code, designated Z97, that requires them to have minimum strength and shatter-resistant conditions, among others. As stated in some code manuals, glass in elevator enclosures shall be laminated glass conforming to ANSI Z97.1. Markings as specified in the applicable standard shall be on each separate piece of glass and shall remain visible after installation.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,281 (Haraga et al.) describes a panel used as a material for forming a wall of a general building material such as an elevator. The panel includes a rigid front plate and a rigid back plate having a corrugated cross-section adhered to a rear side of the front plate by a reinforcing bonding agent made of a synthetic resin material.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,908 (Sanchez et al.) describes a wall panel assembly for use as an interior wall of an elevator car. The wall panel assembly includes a wall panel embossed to form a central portion, a decorative panel having an ornamental front surface, and an adhesive material that attaches the decorative panel to the wall panel. When the wall panel is installed in an elevator car, the decorative panel ornamental front surface is visible to passengers. The decorative panel can be formed of a flexible laminate material to follow the contour of the central portion.